Texans try to overcome 'D' woes

HOUSTON - Safety Bernard Pollard is the first to admit it - Houston's season has been marred by the defense's embarrassing errors, particularly toward the end of games.

The offense has done its part to make this a successful season, ranking seventh in yards (373 per game) and 11th in scoring (24 points per game). Arian Foster still leads the league in rushing, and Andre Johnson ranks fourth in yards receiving.

But the defense has let them down, repeatedly giving up big plays in the fourth quarter, and pushed the Texans to the brink of another discouraging season.

"You can't question our effort," Pollard said. "It's just that, at times, we make the stupidest mistakes in the craziest times in the game."

Houston (5-7) plays Baltimore (8-4) on Monday night and virtually needs to win its last four games to have a chance at earning the franchise's first postseason berth.

And the defense will need to make a stark reversal for that to happen. Houston ranks 29th in total defense (388.8 yards per game) and last against the pass (287.4 yards per game).

"We play 21/2 or 3 quarters really well," Pollard said. "We hold quarterbacks under their mark, we hold their running game under their mark. But we get to a point in the game where we lose focus, or lose that edge."

Defensive tackle Amobi Okoye said the Texans have developed the dangerous mind-set of expecting things to go wrong at some point late in games. But Okoye wants the players to preserve that thought for the last four games, so they'll focus harder and eliminate the mistakes at critical moments.

"When you don't keep it in mind, it happens," Okoye said. "But when you keep it in mind, and see when it's about to happen, you kind of pull it together and one person reminds one another that, 'Look, we've been in this situation before, and we're almost about to do what we shouldn't do. Let's everybody tighten up, and let's get out of here with a victory.'"

That hasn't happened so far. The Texans have dropped five of their last six games, and the average margin in the last four losses is 6.5 points.

The secondary gave up long passes in the final seconds in losses to Jacksonville and the New York Jets. San Diego's Philip Rivers completed a 28-yard touchdown pass with about five minutes left against the Texans in the Chargers' 29-23 win on Nov. 7. And Philadelphia's Michael Vick threw a 33-yard pass to DeSean Jackson early in the fourth quarter of last week's game, setting up a short TD run by Vick two snaps later.

Cornerback Brice McCain says the Texans' defense has become tentative late in games, and that's played right into what opponents are trying to do.

"When we get ahead, a lot of players will just try to hold on, instead of going out and making a play," McCain said. "They get kind of cautious. We just need to keep the same mentality the whole game, I think this defense could be great."

The Texans have talked for weeks about feeling like they were on the cusp of a breakthrough victory. McCain said when they finally get one, they'll start executing better at the ends of games.

"Once you get it done, win a close game, it'll become a repetition," he said. "The next game will be the same, and the next game and the next game. We'll find a way to win, instead of finding ways to lose. It only takes one time. You'll feel it, and everybody will get used to it."

Johnson acknowledged that he's frustrated with how Houston's recent games have ended, but he added that no one on the offensive side has built up any resentment against the defense.

"Any time you lose a game, it doesn't matter who's on the field, whether it's offense or defense," he said. "The way they've happened has been very frustrating. But it's part of the game. You just have to find a way to make the plays. The teams we've lost against have been able to make the plays, and we haven't."

The Texans have scored at least 20 points in each of their last five games - and their lowest point total during that span produced the lone victory, 20-0 over Tennessee on Nov. 28.

"It takes 53 guys," Johnson said. "When a defense is struggling, the offense has to keep scoring points. When the offense is struggling, the defense has to keep them from scoring. You both need each other."